(Spoiler Alert) Chernobyl Hotstar review.
After I finished watching the five-episode mini-series ‘Chernobyl’ on Hotstar recently, it pushed me into deep thinking on how people of particular position can dare to neglect incidents which leads to a massive disaster in the mankind.
The incident which took place in the Chernobyl nuclear power plant in 1986 was an entirely worst man-made disaster in the world ever.
It is said that the fatal radioactive explosion was 400 times dangerous and had a more significant impact than the Hiroshima bomb.
The first episode takes us directly to the disaster in one of the nuclear reactors of the Chernobyl nuclear powerplant in Ukraine, which explodes and releases extremely high radioactive material into the air.
The senior management of the nuclear power plant was held responsible for this catastrophic disaster, but they never accepted their fault.
It is shown in the series that, how the chief engineer Anatoly Dyatlov was ignorant and stubborn of his actions.
While running the safety test in the plant, the nuclear explosion took place, which he, along with the other senior officials presented before the State administration as a mere fire accident. All the lies they told was to save themselves.
The series showed us how the bureaucrats were hypocrites and were hiding such grievous incident from the world.
By the end of the first episode, we were introduced the physicist, Valery Legasov, who in real life was the person to find the solution for this issue.
Initially, whatever scientific explanations he was giving to the bureaucrats, he wasn’t taken seriously by anyone.
It was only Legasov, who understood that whatever happened in the nuclear powerplant, it will end the humankind if not stopped now.
It was later in the episodes, we see how the Deputy Chairman Boris Shcherbina and Legasov built trust between them, and together they were trying everything possible to stop the poisonous radioactive to spread in the air.
Not only them, but it was also another physicist from Minsk named Ulana Khomyuk, who arrived in Chernobyl and consulted both Legasov and Boris to help them in the investigation.
She conducted interviews with the workers of the powerplant who were in critical conditions and hospitalized after the explosion.
Also, she talked personally with the Chief engineer Anatoly Dyatlov to confront his actions, but he refused his involvement in the incident.
She unfolds many lies and unacceptable negligence of the officials that resulted in such a tragedy.
It was hard to see even in the series, how thousands of innocent firefighters, powerplant workers, and people those who reside nearby in Pripyat suffered from the high radioactive.
In a matter of a few days, the consequences of the explosion started, as a result, all of them who were in close contact to the place were affected.
Their skin started to peel away, only the flesh remains, and the whole area was contaminated. All of their bodies were chemically burnt, and none left alive. The hospital beds were full with their chemically effected bodies lying and screaming in pain.
More than hundreds of people sacrificed their lives and offer to help to save the lives of millions instead.
The tragic death of thousands of living beings only because of a few ill-tempered, stubborn and short-sighted officials of the power plant.
The entire five-episodes from the beginning till the end, it focused only on telling the truth that once happened in our history.
Another thing which really is moving and painful to see Lyudmilla Ignatenko’s heart-wrenching story. She is the wife of one of the firefighters named Vasily who was introduced in the first episode of the series.
He was one of the first responders to the accident, though it was just a fire accident he went to the nuclear powerplant spot with his men soon realized something else is the matter. He, along with the other firemen, were rushed to the hospital.
Lyudmilla, unannounced about the details of the incident rushed to the hospital to see her husband, and soon she found him in a state of which she never dreamt of.
The show decided to put the story to emphasis on an individual’s plight in life that the nuclear explosion has brought.
Soon, when the bureaucrats of Ukraine understood what aggravating situation they are in, they started taking major steps in calming the situation.
As advised by Legasov, soon Pripyat, which contains around 50,000 people were evacuated immediately. Pripyat is said to be now a ghost town. It is completely abandoned.
Why Chernobyl is a masterpiece?
Well, the series indeed tells you everything. The beauty of Chernobyl lies in its narration. Each episode has layers, it’s like an onion peeling the core story on each episode.
It showed us how mankind is power-hungry individual, ignorant of his actions and on the contrary, how that same mankind when together they rise and save the entire planet.
The notorious Chernobyl is also a result of political corruption and propaganda.
In the last episode, we see how then entire bureaucrats turned against physicist Legasov, despite his contribution to the nation in Chernobyl incident.
When he finally reveals the truth and tell everyone how lies of the government and officials are the main reason for the death of thousands of innocent people, and they are the sole responsible for the Chernobyl tragedy, he was sent into exile and forbidden for life to contact anyone related to the Chernobyl neither can he ever practice science.
All the reports and scientific explanations that he gave became void.
All the three actors Jared Harris who played Legasov, Stellan Skarsgard, played Borris and Emily Watson who played Khomyuk has delivered outstanding performances of their career.
Their characters were convincing, felt real and sort of a tribute to the real-life personalities.
At the end of the series, it has been said that President Gorbachev believed that the Chernobyl disaster is perhaps the reason for the downfall of the Soviet Union.
Historically, is it true or not, we don’t know, but this was undoubtedly the reason for the death and ruin of several lives.
Conclusion:
There is no reason why you shouldn’t watch such a masterpiece series like ‘Chernobyl.’ It forces you to see it all at a time, such a gripping tale of truth and lies.
It is streaming on Hotstar, so if you haven’t yet watched, please watch it and know the historical significance of the Chernobyl tragedy.
You can also read reviews of other series too that are streaming on Hotstar, before start watching them like Hostages, Criminal Justice
Soon I will come back with another review that I am watching now. Meanwhile, do read my other articles too on this website.
(This isn’t a sponsored post).